


Reminders of Home

by superallens



Series: Allenbert One Shots [10]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Earth-5 Fic, Eddie is The Flash, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 08:03:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superallens/pseuds/superallens
Summary: On Earth-5, Julian and Barry are a happily married couple. Their normal morning is interrupted when Earth-1's Flash pays them a visit.





	Reminders of Home

**Author's Note:**

> & after literally MONTHS it is finally here! It has been like pulling teeth trying to get myself to finish this... so hopefully it's worth it?

The sun was blinding as it cracked through the thin, linen curtains. Streaks of light lined themselves in uniformed strips on the gray comforter of Barry and Julian’s bed. 

Barry’s face twitched as one of the strips of light moved over a mere inch, landing straight on his eye. The warm sensation shook him from his light sleep and he fluttered his eyes open. He squinted against the bright light as he tried to shift in bed, only to be stopped by an arm slung around his waist. 

Barry smiled softly at his husband’s sleeping form. The blonde man laid curled up against Barry’s side. Barry’s arm was wrapped around his thin shoulders. As he looked down, he saw the ring on his fourth finger glimmer in the sunlight. 

His heart filled with butterflies as he dipped his head down and kissed Julian’s pale shoulder softly. The lightly freckled skin was smooth against Barry’s lips as he worked his way up. Julian shifted his head upwards slightly, the side of his head now rested partly on Barry’s shoulder. His eyes groggily blinked open and his head slumped into the nape of Barry’s neck. 

“Good morning,” Barry whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss in Julian’s unruly sandy blonde hair. Little tufts of hair stuck out to-and-fro, some of which lightly tickling Barry’s bare skin. 

Julian adjusted his head once more so he now looked up at his husband’s face. Barry’s heart skipped a beat as green eyes peered into gray. Julian’s eyes danced in swirls of light, stormy clouds with flecks of dewey, pale rain. With every blink, it was like falling in love all over again. Same eyes, same feeling, but it was like riding a rollercoaster. The passenger knows that the drop is coming, but the nervous butterflies fill their stomach as it flips and flops every which way. At the end of the drop, relief is all the passenger feels, but an odd sense of joy and satisfaction etches away at the nerves and all feels alright again. Looking into Julian’s eyes was a rollercoaster that Barry never wanted to get off of.

Julian’s eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as he rubbed at his eye. He squinted as he replied, “Mornin”.

Barry’s eyes averted down to Julian’s ring finger once more, a shit eating grin plastered itself on his face. 

“What are you smiling about?” Julian muttered, his voice gravelly from sleep. 

“Oh, nothing,” Barry said. “Just remembered that we're married. And you're my husband.”

“Shut up, you bloody sap,” Julian groaned, turning his head so he was no longer looking at his husband. “It’s too early for your fucking romcom inspired lines.”

“It’s never too early for romcom lines, Ju,” Barry chuckled. Julian lifts his head up just so he could glare at Barry.

“C’mon, don’t glare at me.” Julian tilted his head as he continued to glare at him. “I’m just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her.”

“First of all, Allen, we’re laying down. Second of all, it’s  _ far _ too early for you to start quoting  _ Notting Hill _ . I don’t care how much you love Julia Roberts, but you don’t need to fucking quote her whenever you want my attention. Thirdly, you are in a whole other league compared to Hugh Grant.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Interpret it as you will,” Julian said, grunting a bit as he sat up in bed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go make some coffee.”

“Make me some?” Barry asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. Julian rolled his eyes before leaning down and pecking Barry’s lips. 

“Always.”

***

Julian’s feet slapped against the wooden stairs, a small smile on his face. Once he reached the base, he turned towards the living room and hummed as he walked to the small record player in the corner. Barry’s parents had given it to them as an engagement gift. Barry’s grandparents had given it to Henry when he got engaged to Nora, so it had become a tradition of sorts. 

Julian flitted through the various records that were held in a wooden crate next to the record player. He smiled when he got to the one he was looking for- Fleetwood Mac. The 1975 album was his favorite from the band of the same title. He took the record out of its sleeve and placed it gently in its rightful place. Before he knew it, “Monday Morning” was ringing softly throughout the room.

His steps were a little lighter as he walked to the kitchen to the beat of the song. Julian liked mornings like this, where he nor Barry had anywhere to be and he got to have the kitchen to himself as his husband made the bed. It was the perfect routine and he wouldn’t change it for anything. 

His quiet morning was interrupted by a knock on the door as he finished setting the coffee pot. Julian’s eyebrows furrowed as he let go of his green coffee mug, placing it on the counter. 

Once he reached the front entrance of the apartment, he unlocked the locks on the door and swung it open. The person at the door had his back to him. Julian cleared his throat as the stranger scratched his ear. The stranger jumped in place before pivoting to face Julian. A frown made its way onto Julian’s face when he saw who the person at the door was.

“Barry?” Julian asked. He looked behind him towards the stairs that went to the bedroom, then back at the man standing at the door. “But you’re-” 

“Julian?” the man at the door said, confusion laced in his tone. “It’s supposed to be Iris…”

“Barry, what the fuck are you talking about? How did you get down here without me seeing you? And why the bloody hell would you knock- did you forget your key again?” Julian asked as he leaned against the door frame. “I mean, I know I tune out in the mornings, but I very well would’ve heard you-”

“Julian,” the man said, cutting Julian off. Julian shut his mouth in favor of glaring at the man. “This is probably very confusing for you, I get it, but I need to talk to Barry. Can I come in?”

“Talk to Barry? But you’re Barry- wait,  _ fuck _ , are you one of those metas that takes people's faces?”

“What? No! No, no, no… I’m Barry. Allen. But not the Barry you know, it’s all confusing and weird, yet easy to explain…” the man trailed off. “Is Barry here? I think you implied that he is.”

“Why should I trust you? You very well could be here to kill him,” Julian stated, closing the door ever so slightly. “I swear, your husband becomes director for the CCPD crime lab and all of a sudden people come knocking on your doorstep,  _ literally _ .”

“ _ Husband _ ?” 

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it-”

“Woah, woah, that won’t be necessary,” the man said, holding his hands up in defense. “I’m here to ask about The Flash.”

Julian’s eyes widened as he opened up the door. He peaked his head out of the apartment and looked around the halls. Thankfully, it was empty, besides the man of course. He grabbed the familiar hand and dragged him into the apartment. 

“Listen to me, I’m going to go get my husband. If you even move, I will not hesitate to get my gun and shoot you,” Julian muttered under his breath as his eyes shot daggers at the man.

“Got it. Staying put.” Julian gave one final look at the man before heading back up the stairs. Moments later, the small blonde was gripping his husband’s forearm as he led him down the stairs.

“I can’t really explain it, I don’t know what’s going on but,” Julian muttered as they stepped down the final steps. Julian only let go of Barry’s forearm once they reached the other Barry. 

“I just don’t understand why anybody would knock on our door this early. It’s way too early to-” Barry paused abruptly as he saw who was standing next to the door. “Holy doppleganger!”

The other Barry stifled a laugh under his breath as he watched the other version of him step forward with a smile on his face.

“I always wanted to meet another version of myself but I never thought it would happen,” Barry beamed as he touched other Barry’s shoulder. “What Earth are you from?”

“Earth-1.”

“No!”

“Yeah,” other Barry nodded, a toothy grin on his face. Barry beamed as he stared at his doppleganger.

“You’re like, the OG me, this is, wow, I just thought this was gonna be a normal morning where Ju and I wake up, I make the bed, he makes the coffee and puts on Fleetwood and then we go about our days, but now you’re here and this is just so-”

“Okay, Barry,  _ slow down _ ,” other Barry said, flashing a quick glance at Julian. Julian shrugged. 

“Sorry to break up this little… whatever this is, but what exactly are you doing here…”

“Barry,” other Barry said.

“Obviously. But, we very well can’t have two Barrys here, so how would you prefer for us to address you.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, you’re right,” other Barry muttered. “I mean, I guess Bart is fine. Comes with a funny story actually-”

“Let’s save that for later and get straight to the point as to where you explain to us why you want to talk to my husband about The Flash,” Julian deadpanned. “How do you know about Barry’s involvement with the Flash?”

“I actually didn’t know for sure if he knew anything about it… when I went to Earth-2, my doppleganger there had knowledge on speedsters and stuff, so when I got here I just hoped for the best when I found out that I- _ him _ worked at the CCPD,” Bart mumbled. “I’m the Flash of my Earth so.”

“There’s a version of me that’s  _ The Flash?! _ ” Barry said in awe. He turned towards his husband with excitement twinkling in his eyes. “Ju, are you hearing this?”

“Yes, dear, I am,” Julian said. “I’m still wary of you, Bart. We are well aware of what happened regarding the Jay Garrick/Zoom fiasco on Earth-2. How do we know that you aren’t doing the same?”

“Wait, how do you know about that?” Bart asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“We keep tabs on other Earths here,” Barry said. “Our Flash likes to be aware of potential dangers.”

“If you keep tabs on the other Flashes, then you know I’m one of the good guys.”

“We also know that you’re sort of a mess,” Julian said. Bart raised his eyebrows in shock. Barry smacked his husband’s arm.

“What have I told you about saying stuff like that?” Barry whisper shouted under his breath. Julian rolled his eyes.

“I don’t give a damn about my ‘interpersonal issues’ right now, I care about your’s and the Flash’s safety.”

“Eddie can take care of himself!”

“Wait Eddie? Eddie Thawne?” Bart asked, butting into the conversation.

“For fuck’s sake! Barry!” Julian took a deep breath as he buried his head into his hands. “Yes, like Eddie Thawne.”

“Do you know Eddie on your Earth?” Barry asked Bart.

“Well-”

“If we’re going to continue this conversation, I’m going to need some coffee,” Julian grumbled as he walked towards the kitchen. 

***

The trio sat down at the black dining table. Julian nursed a Darth Vader coffee mug, filled to the brim with black coffee as his eyes darted back and forth between the two Barrys. 

“It’s too early for this,” Julian grumbled into the lip of his mug before he took a sip. The coffee burned as it slid down his throat. “One Allen is already enough.”

“What?” Barry asked, not hearing what Julian said.

“Nothing, dear,” Julian hummed as he set down his mug. Julian was sitting on one side of the table as Barry and Bart sat in front of him, Barry to the left and Bart to the right. He turned in his seat towards Bart, his eyes squinting slightly to make himself look a little more intimidating. Barry stifled his laugh with the back of his hand as he stared at his husband. What Julian thought was a tough look really made him just look like an irritated bunny rabbit. It’s the thought that counts.

“So,  _ Bart _ ,” Julian started. “How did you find our home?”

“Oh, uh, I live here on my Earth,” Bart said as he cleared his throat. “Me and my fiancee do. So I just thought that maybe I would live here on this Earth too.”

Julian nodded as he leaned back in his seat, folding his hands on the table. 

“What are you doing, Julian?” Barry chuckled. 

“Shut up, Barry.”

“If you’re trying to look tough it isn’t working.”

“Shut up!”

“The Darth Vader coffee mug really isn’t helping your case man,” Bart said, followed by a choked chuckle. Right when Julian was about to reply with a snarky retort, his phone buzzed.  He groaned as he read the text to himself.

“Who is it?” Barry asked, leaning forward in an effort to take a peek at Julian’s phone. The other man stood up as he read the text.

“It’s Rathaway. Some of the evidence from the Wright-Johnson case didn’t get processed correctly so he needs me to go down and sort it out,” Julian muttered.

“Wait, Rathaway? As in Hartley Rathaway?” Bart sputtered out.

“Yeah, you know him?” Julian asked as he edged towards the stairs. 

“He used to be a bad guy… called himself Pied Piper,” Bart replied. “What does he do here?”

“He’s co director of the CCPD with his husband, David Singh.”

“Singh? What about Rob?”

“Rob Kardashian?” Barry inquired.

“What would the Kardashians have to do with this?” Julian whisper yelled. Barry shrugged.

“No, no, Rob is Singh’s husband on my Earth. Not Rob Kardashian.”

“It’d be cool if we were talking about Rob Kardashian though” Barry muttered. “I always considered myself more of a Kourtney to be honest.”

“I think I’m more of a Kendall, I’m not quite Kardashian level,” Bart replied with a small smile.

“Where the fuck am I?” Julian whispered under his breath. He cleared his throat and stood up. “I think this is my cue to leave.”

Julian stood up from his seat and headed upstairs. He returned moments later in his work attire- a black polo shirt, trousers, and a sport coat. 

“It shouldn’t take me too long,” Julian muttered as he leaned towards Barry. “I’ll be back as fast as I can. If there’s any problems I’ll be a call away.”

“I can handle myself,” Barry said back with a pointed look.

“I know, I know,” Julian sighed. He reached his hands up and cupped Barry’s cheeks. “You can’t blame me for worrying, especially with this situation.”

“I get it,” Barry sighed. 

“I just don’t know what I’d do with myself if anything ever were to happen to you,” Julian whispered. Barry nodded slightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Barry leaned forwards and pulled Julian in for a quick kiss. “Now go, before Rathaway kicks your ass. We both know he will.”

“Don’t remind me,” Julian groaned. “Bye, Barry. Bart.”

Bart gave a small wave as Julian exited the apartment. Right as the door shut, Barry turned towards Bart.

“Isn’t he such a Kris?!” Bart’s eyes widened.

“You’re so right!”

***

It had been a hot second since Julian had left to go take care of whatever business was going down at the CCPD. Barry had asked his doppleganger if he would like to take a look around, an offer that Bart had taken up immediately.

Bart looked at one of the pictures that sat on the counter. He picked it up, thumbing at the cool, metal frame. In the picture, Barry and Julian stood in front of a fountain wearing matching black coats. Barry was wearing a crimson scarf while Julian was wearing thick framed glasses. The two looked like they were dancing as their arms circled around each other. Large smiles adorned their faces as they looked lovingly into each other’s eyes. They looked beyond happy. 

“When did you guys take this?” Bart asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Barry looked up from his phone to see what Bart was talking about. 

“Oh, we took that when we were in London visiting Julian’s parents,” Barry said, his voice light as a smile made its way onto his face. He stood up from his seat and went over to stand next to Bart. “It was a week after I proposed. His mom insisted we come visit since she needed to see the ring in person.”

“It’s a nice picture.”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites,” Barry smiled. A soft laugh escaped his lips as he continued, “Julian always says he wishes this picture could move so you could see the silly dance we were doing.”

“Moving pictures, that’d be pretty cool.”

“Yeah,” Barry said. “Julian’s full of cool ideas if you ask him about them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s gotten me into some really weird shit,” Barry laughed. Barry paused before leaning against the counter to look at Bart. “What’s he like? On your Earth?”

“Julian?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know him that well, really. He’s on Team Flash and we share a lab, but besides that…” Barry trailed off. “He doesn’t like me too much if I’m gonna be honest.”

“Julian didn’t like me at first either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! When he comes back I’ll have him tell you the story. He’s always told it better than I do.”

“I look forward to it,” Bart smiled. He set down the picture in favor of turning around and staring out the window. “How are mom and dad?”

“They’re really good! Just got back from a weekend vacation. Julian and I watched mom’s cat. Dad refuses to call it his, they don’t get on too well,” Barry said. He paused for a second before turning to Bart with a confused look. “Wait, why do you ask?”

“On my Earth, um, they aren’t with us anymore.”

“They’re dead?”

“Yeah…” Barry took a small step back as his hand went to rest on his face.

“How did it happen?” Bart looked down at his feet, not able to get himself to look Barry in the eye. “I’m being insensitive, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want-”

“No, no, it’s fine. Dad died two years ago. Zoom killed him in attempt to show me that I had a lot in common with him. The Reverse Flash, I’m sure you’ve heard about him, killed mom when I was eleven to get revenge on future me.”

Without a word, Barry pulled Bart in for a hug. It was weird, hugging yourself, but Bart was much more trim and in shape than Barry was, so Barry’s limbs felt like they were getting crushed by Bart’s strong embrace. 

“I don’t even wanna imagine what that feels like,” Barry muttered.

“The pain dulls after a while. Time doesn’t heal all wounds but it surely helps,” Bart replied. Barry let go of Bart and took a small step back.

“Do you wanna call them? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, I could explain it to them later-”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Barry interrupted. “I called my mom when I visited Earth-2, it just-it hurts too much.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Barry replied with a small frown on his face. 

“Are you hungry? I mean, you just traveled for who knows how long, and here I’ve been just sitting here and not being a good host. Mom would kick my ass if she knew I was starving a guest! Is there anything you want? We have some fruit, toast, eggs? Do you like eggs? That’s like the one thing I’m decent at. You can’t botch an egg too bad. Julian’s always been the chef in this family-”

“Barry-”

“He’s always making fun of me because I always set off the fire alarm at least once a week. I can’t help it though! I’d call myself a walking disaster but Julian gets mad at me and tells me to never knock down my self worth just because I’m not good at something. Then he goes on a whole rant about how self love is one of the best loves out there. He could be one of those TED Talk people, honestly, he’s just incredible-”

“Barry-”

“Like Julian is just  _ amazing _ , I don’t know how I got so lucky. Is your Julian that pretty? Do you have any pictures? I mean, Julian gets to compare and contrast me and you, why can’t I do some of my own. Anyways, where was I? Yeah, Julian.  _ A plus _ dude. Where was I even going with this? Food? Food! Did I mention we have Pop Tarts from when-”

“ _ Barry. _ ”

“Huh?” Barry asked innocently.

“Shut up.”

“Oh.”

“I knew I was a rambler but this proves just how much,” Bart sighed. “To answer your questions. I’m always down to eat something. I’ve never looked at my Julian like that. I can check my phone to see if I have any pictures, but cell service between Earths is pretty dodgy.”

Barry nodded as he stared at Bart. His eyes widened a fraction as Bart took out his phone. “I’ll go make some eggs.”

“You do that,” Bart smiled as he flicked through his phone.

***

“Okay, so the issue wasn’t that important,” Julian called out as he walked into the apartment. “I also took the liberty to call up Eddie. He said he can come by in like an hour to-  _ Barry! _ ”

Julian halted as he looked at the scene in front of him.

Barry and Bart were sat at the kitchen table surrounded by multiple plates of various types of eggs. Scrambled, over-easy, omelettes, you name it. Barry looked up with a guilty expression on his face.

“What did I say about cooking when I wasn’t home?”

“That I shouldn’t do it,” Barry said with a roll of his eyes. “Bart was here though! He’s a great cook.”

“The great Flash, a cook?” Julian asked with mock sarcasm. 

“Well, do you want some?” Barry asked, looking down at the plates. Julian rolled his eyes and slid into the seat next to his husband. He took the fork out of Barry’s hand and stabbed it into the scrambled eggs.

“You said something about Eddie when you walked in?”

“Oh, yeah,” Julian mumbled. He swallowed the rest of his bite of the eggs before picking up the napkin on the table and wiping at his mouth. “I called Eddie to see if he would be able to get Bart home and he said he’d come by in about an hour to bring Bart to the labs.”

“Sweet,” Barry replied. He picked up his glass of orange juice and took a sip out of it.

“Barry said that you could tell me the story of how you guys met?” Bart asked. Barry beamed as a smile made its way onto his face.

“You gotta tell him, Ju, it’s a great story.”

“Why do you always make me tell it?” Julian groaned as he rested his elbow on the table.

“Because you always tell it better and I like listening to you talk,” Barry smiled. “Now go.”

“Okay, so it all started when Barry and I were assigned partners at the CCPD…”

***

“Allen,” an intern said as he poked his head through the doorway of Barry’s lab. Barry looked up from the dish in front of him, his eyes staring into the intern’s through his thick safety goggles. “Rathaway wants you to come down to his office.”

“Okay, uh, yeah, sure,” Barry mumbled as he stood up from his chair. “Did he say when?”

“Five minutes ago.”

“Five minutes- why are you just telling me this now?” 

“Just got the chance to.”

“Alright then,” Barry breathed out. He pulled off his gloves, rolling them into a ball and tossing them into the bin under his desk. He shucked off his goggles and placed them on the desk, far away from the dish he was working with. “Thanks.”

“Yup.” The intern left without a second word. Barry rolled his eyes, thinking to himself how the intern was not going to last another day with an attitude like that. 

Barry left his lab in a haste, bounding down the stairs and towards Rathaway’s office. He smoothed out his sweater and adjusted his collar before heading into the room.

“Matt said you wanted to see me, sir?” Barry asked as he entered the room. Hartley Rathaway sat at his desk, his tortoise shell glasses perched on his nose and his arms crossed against his chest. 

“Glad you finally decided to show up, Allen,” Hartley said as he straightened up in his seat.

“I came as soon as I heard, sir-”

“No excuses needed,” Hartley interrupted. “Take a seat.”

Barry sat down in the seat closest to the door, sinking into the plush leather cushion. 

“Allen, I’d like you to meet Julian Albert,” Hartley said as he picked up a file from his desk. “He just transferred here from Coast City, he’ll be sharing an office with you.”

Barry looked to his right, only to see a blonde haired man sitting pin straight in his seat. Before Barry could even say anything, let alone introduce himself, Julian spoke up.

“I’m sorry, sir, but  _ sharing _ ?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“I wasn’t aware that this transfer would include me sharing with,” Julian turned his gaze from Hartley to Barry, sizing the other man up. “Sharing with him.”

“Like I said, it there an issue? Because if so, I would have no problem with calling up Director Jones and talking to him about dissolving your transfer.” Julian said nothing, but kept his posture straight and his face stonecold. “That’s what I thought. I’ll have Allen show you around and you start tomorrow, Albert. Dismissed.”

Barry and Julian didn’t say a word as they walked out of Hartley’s office. When the door slammed shut behind them, Barry flinched ever so slightly.

“A bit jumpy there, Allen?”

“You can call me Barry.” Julian turned his head towards Barry, cocking it slightly. He gave Barry a once over, his eyes quickly flicking up and down Barry’s body.

“I think I’m alright,  _ Allen _ ,” Julian replied with a smirk. Barry rolled his eyes. 

“I’m gonna show you around now.”

“Sounds superb,  _ Allen _ .”

“I’m gonna kill myself,” Barry whispered under his breath. He shook the thoughts of punching the shorter British man in the face, instead placing a shit eating grin on his face. “It  _ is  _ superb! You’re gonna love it here.”

Barry’s smile got wider as he slung an arm around Julian’s shoulders, pulling the other man closer to him. “We’re gonna be the bestest of friends.”

“Get your bloody hands off of me!” Julian scowled as he ducked away from Barry. “Just give me the damn tour and then you can get out of my hair. Sounds good?”

“Excellent even.”

***

A few weeks had passed and there was still tension between the two men. For Julian, it was more of the tension of not wanting to share a workspace, especially with one Barry Allen. The guy was a walking disaster, constantly tripping on things and his desk was a mess, files intermixing with one another. 

For Barry, however, the tension was more of ‘God, my coworker is really hot and I wanna stare at him but not look like a creep’. Julian probably already thought he was a creep with how many times he had caught Barry staring at him. Oh well. 

Barry knew nothing would ever come out of his stupid crush. It was a crush, that was all. A stupid, silly, school boy crush. It would pass eventually, right?

That notion was long forgotten after another two months passed and if anything, Barry’s attraction to Julian was even stronger. Sure, Julian was sort of a dick, but Barry knew it was just out of his need to be professional at all times. 

Barry knew nothing would come out of his stupid crush, for it was just that, a crush. But, he knew that if he didn’t at least attempt to do something about it, he would always wonder ‘what if…’.

So, on that fateful Friday evening, Barry walked up to Julian’s desk with his hands shaking with nerves behind his back. He could do this. He was going to ask Julian Albert out. On a date. A casual one though! Because dinner dates just seemed too serious and Barry had a big appetite and was a messy eater so that could turn Julian away from him. And there was always a silent pressure from movie dates and it’s always super awkward being hyper aware of where somebody's hand is and how his pinky is approximately one point seven inches away from his date’s and oh God he hasn’t taken a proper breath in a solid minute… so a bar date was the safest option.

“Allen.  _ Allen.  _ Earth to Allen?” Julian said, glaring at Barry. “Barry!”

“What? Huh?” Barry asked, shaking out of his trance. 

“You’ve been standing in front of my desk for approximately fifty seconds and haven’t said a word. What do you want?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, I was just wondering, you know, just a little question, nothing big! I won’t be offended by a negative answer, I totally get it, but it would be great if you said yes, like woo! Score! Awes-”

“And yet you still haven’t managed to ask me the fateful question.”

“Oh right, yeah, sorry-”

“Go on.”

“Will you go for drinks with me tonight?” Barry asked, biting his lip as he waited for a response. Julian had a shocked look on his face for a split second before he recollected himself and turned back towards his work.

“Sorry. Not tonight,” Julian muttered, clicking his pen.

“Busy?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Barry said, frowning. Julian didn’t say anything as he signed off on a paper. He slipped it into a manila folder and turned back towards Barry.

“I’m assuming you’re on your way out?”

“Oh, um, yeah, shift ends in a minute.”

“I still have some things to finish up, but would you drop this off on Rathaway’s desk on your way out?” Julian asked, holding out the folder to Barry. Barry’s heart dropped as he looked at the folder. 

“Yeah, uh, no problem.” Barry grabbed the folder and walked towards the door.

“And Allen.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s nothing personal. I just moved here.”

“Yeah, I get it, no worries. Not a problem,” Barry awkwardly laughed. He then proceeded to point towards the door. “I’m just gonna…”

“You do that.”

***

The chilly month of December soon rolled around. Snow was falling, winter coats were now residing in the front of people’s closets, and Barry Allen was still hopelessly pining over Julian Albert. 

Don’t get him wrong, Barry was glad that the two were somewhat civil with each other, but no matter how many times he asked Julian out or even made the offer to be friends, Julian always responded with a curt no. 

Barry tapped his pencil against his desk as he stared blankly at the wall, the news flickering on the television in the background, along with the soft scratch of Julian’s pencil.

As usual, Barry’s eyes drifted to Julian. His glasses were perched low on his nose, his sandy blonde hair hanging in his face as his eyes flickered across the pages in front of him. His pink tongue poked out of the side of his mouth as he scribbled words down in the margins of the page. 

Why did he have to be so gorgeous? It was like something was out to get Barry. 

“Breaking news…” the reporter said on the television, breaking Barry from his JAM (Julian Appreciation Moment). “Harrison Wells has announced the date of the launch of the infamous Particle Accelerator, which has been in the works for several years now.”

Barry’s eyes widened as he stood abruptly from his seat. He stumbled around his desk and nearly fell on his face as he made his way towards the television. 

“On December 21, the Particle Accelerator will be turned on and the launch will be open to the public on a first come first serve basis,” the reporter continued.

“Holy shit,” Barry whispered, his hands coming up to hold his face in excitement. He had been waiting for this very moment for years now and it was finally here. 

“What are you bumbling about now, Allen,” Julian groaned as he turned towards the television. His eyes scanned the screen before widening. He soon resided next to Barry, eyes glued to the screen.

“It’s happening,” Barry excitingly chuckled. “Do you realize how amazing this is? We’re going to be making so many-”

“Advancements in science and medicine just by powering the city with clean energy,” the two said in sync. Their heads snapped towards each other, goofy smiles on their faces. 

“Do you think we’d be able to get in?” Barry whispered.

“If we really tried, yeah,” Julian shrugged.

“Wait,” Barry said. “You didn’t reject the idea of going together.”

“That I did not.”

“You’d actually want to go with me?”

“You may be annoying but you're the only person I know that would truly appreciate it,” Julian said. “We can go after work.”

“Oh, yeah, okay! Great!”

“Great.”

***

“I can’t believe they wouldn’t let us in!” Julian exclaimed, frustration evident on his face. 

“We showed them our badges and everything! We are more than qualified to be there!”

“Those bastards said it was open to the public, yet they were only letting higher ups and reporters in. What bullshit.”

“Yeah, fuck them!” Julian turned towards Barry, giving him a look of judgement. He shook his head before walking over to turn the television on. He quickly flicked it to Channel 8, where the KSFZ was doing a live broadcast of the launch of the Particle Accelerator. 

Barry walked over to the side of the table that the television rested on so he could easily gaze out the window. The bright lights of the city illuminated the night’s sky, the lightness kissing the darkness softly. The soft glow of S.T.A.R. Labs emitted from the distance. 

“At least we have a decent view from here.”

“We could’ve had an amazing view if we got in.”

“At least we have this though,” Barry restated softly. He leaned against the table so he would have the perfect view of the television and the night sky. The two stood there in silence, eyes flicking back and forth from the television to the window.

Barry turned so he could look at Julian. 

His bright blue eyes reflected the warm city lights, creating a distinct contrast against the various tones. His blonde hair had fallen from its pristine ‘do and a few strands were hanging in front of his face. A small smile graced his pink lips as the other man’s eyes filled with excitement due to the event. The center of his lips were tinted red from chewing on it earlier that night. 

He was beautiful.

“It’s stunning,” Julian murmured as he stared at S.T.A.R. Labs with wonder.

“Yeah, it is,” Barry breathed softly, his eyes glued to Julian. Julian turned his head to look at Barry as a deep blush formed onto Barry’s cheeks. They both turned their heads quickly to look towards the sky instead. 

A storm had been brewing that evening, rain pounding against the pavement earlier that day, but had only gotten more intense as the night progressed. 

“ _ We are now being told to evacuate the facility. The storm may have caused a malfunction to the primary cooling system… _ ”

Julian and Barry’s head snapped towards the television. The newscaster was only beginning to explain how officials were trying to shut down the Particle Accelerator when the feed cut off. 

The television fizzled to black and the two both shifted their gaze to the window. A large burst of energy erupted from S.T.A.R. Labs, quaking the city. 

Barry raced over to the middle of the room and grabbed the chains that controlled the skylight window. He pulled the chain to start closing it when everything around him went weird. The liquids in the beakers around him were beginning to raise from their glasses. 

Barry felt like he was frozen in place as he looked at everything around him. This wasn’t possible. This shouldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be real.

“Bloody hell,” Julian muttered, looking around the room. He looked up through the skylight just in time to see the clouds above them. “Allen!”

He ran over to Barry and knocked him out of the way, the two falling hard against the concrete flooring. Lightning hit the skylight, shattering the glass. Shards of glass fell around the two, both men covering their heads with their hands. 

Slowly, yet surely, everything felt normal once more. For the most part, at least. 

Barry was the first to sit up, bits and pieces of glass falling on the floor as he did so. He shook the shards out of his hair as he looked towards Julian, who grumbled a bit as he layed there. 

“You saved my life,” Barry breathed out. 

“You’re welcome for that,” Julian muttered as he sat up and brushed the glass off his shoulders. 

“Thank you,” Barry said, breathless. “I could’ve died, I-”

“Don’t mention it, you’re alive, that’s what matters,” Julian said, standing up. “We both are.”

“Yeah.”

“The real question, though, is what the hell just happened.” Barry looked at the scene around him. Chemicals were spilled onto the floor. Glass was everywhere. The whole city was dark.

“I have no clue.”

***

The two had no idea the horrors that would hit the city the following months. The S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator Explosion created a new form of superhumans that the CCPD coined as metas. These metas were beginning to run the city, causing the police to work overtime just to make the streets accessible.

With Barry and Julian being the two head CSIs, they were working overtime almost every night and almost had no breaks. Barry even started coming in on Sundays to get his work done so he would at least be able to sleep a little throughout the week. 

It was a Saturday evening when Barry looked up from his desk and barely recognized the man sitting across from him. 

The bags under Julian’s eyes looked heavy and a light shade of purple as his bloodshot eyes danced across the file in front of him. His complexion was pale and he looked more pointy than he normally did. Barry felt worried as he tore his gaze away from Julian and to the file in front of him. 

The case they were currently working on was the one regarding a meta with the ability to control the weather. The man wasn’t doing anything bad, necessarily, but he still hadn’t learned how to control his powers. That being said, Central City was pouring rain one second and blazing hot the next. 

The clock soon ticked to seven and Barry finished signing off on his work for the day. He stood up from his seat and picked up his satchel, placing it on his desk. As he zipped it open, he snuck a peek at Julian.

The other man was placing his things slowly into his briefcase, in no hurry to be leaving any time soon. His movements were almost lethargic as he moved almost sloth-like. Barry frowned at the sight.

“You look like you could use a drink,” Barry muttered as he packed his things away into his satchel. Julian paused at his desk, his hand resting on top of his briefcase.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, Julian, a lot of stuff has happened in the past few months. It’s been hard on me and I’m sure it’s been hard on you as well. Do you wanna go have drinks?”

“Allen…”

“No, I’m not asking you out again, I got the hint,” Barry stated. “This is just as coworkers, friends, whatever you wanna call us.”

Julian sighed. Barry was making a good point. “Depends where.”

Barry made next to no effort in hiding his smile. “My parents went to Europe over the holidays and brought me back some rum, so we can open that up and order some Chinese?”

“I’m only saying yes because America has shit rum.”

***

Chinese takeout cartons surrounded the two men as they leaned against the couch in Barry’s small apartment. The glasses sitting on the coffee table were long forgotten, as the two men had taken to passing the bottle back and forth between one another. 

“How are you doing?” Barry asked as he twiddled with the sleeves of his sweater. Julian looked up at him with a quirked brow.

“How am I doing?” Julian retorted with a hint of a scoff. Barry shrugged.

“Seemed like the logical thing to ask, with everything that’s going on,” Barry replied. Julian sighed as he rested his neck on the cushion of the couch.

“I’ve definitely been better,” Julian laughed bitterly. “I don’t think I’ve been this sleep deprived since uni.”

“Cheers to that,” Barry said as he raised the bottle to his lips. 

“How much longer do you think this is gonna last?”

“What do you mean?”

“This work load. Rathaway can’t expect us to keep working like this without something bad happening.”

“I don’t know,” Barry muttered. “I was hoping Harrison Wells would come out with some magical answer to all of Central City’s problems, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Yeah,” Julian grumbled as he took the bottle from Barry’s hands and took a long drink. “I fucking hate this.”

“Same, same,” Barry replied. “Do you ever just… think about getting out of here. Don’t get me wrong, I love Central, it’s my home, but it’s just  _ so much _ right now.”

“No.”

“No?”

“This is all I have, don’t you understand?”

“What?”

“I risked everything coming here. I don’t have a family to go home to. I don’t even  _ have _ a family anymore. And everything else is getting taken away from me and I’m bloody terrified,” Julian muttered, his eyes watering. “I’m so scared, everyday, because I have worked my ass off to get to where I am today and it’s all getting ripped away from me because of Harrison fucking Wells.”

Barry bit his lip as he stared at Julian.

“I don’t get to just up and leave. I made this decision for myself and I’m going to see it through.” 

“Julian,” Barry whispered. He scooted closer so that their legs lined up with each other and that their knees knocked against one another every second or so. “You are brilliant. This has been a reset button for all of us, but, no matter how scary it is, it’s kind of cool at the same time. It’s like a comic book come to life or something like that. Change is scary, but what comes from it can be beautiful.”

“Do you just have inspirational speeches ready to be pulled out of your ass at a moment's notice?”

“Pretty much.”

“Fucking disgusting,” Julian sighed as he took a swig from the bottle of rum. 

“I’ll take it.”

“What if I’m not able to keep up with all this change though? I don’t trust these people with their powers. The power is gonna get to their heads and people are gonna die and it’s gonna be a disaster,” Julian mumbled, his words slurring a bit towards the end.

“This is kind of out of our control.”

“You don’t think I bloody well know that?” Julian said, his voice rising slightly. “I don’t like things that I don’t trust. And I do not trust these power hungry Americans with abilities that could change the course of the world as we know it.”

“I think… I think it’s our job then, to help these people. To help them make the right decisions,” Barry replied calmly. “Imagine how much good we could accomplish if we teamed up with them! Cities could be restored, crisis could be prevented. Who knows, maybe even the cure for cancer is hidden within one of these people! So much good could come from this.”

“I appreciate your optimism, but sadly, the world doesn’t work that way,” Julian said bitterly, swirling the amber liquid around in the bottle. “The world takes optimism and fucking annihilates it until it’s obsolete. That’s why you’re a rarity.”

“Oh…”

“You’re hard to figure out, Barry Allen.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you let people step all over you?” Julian grumbled into the bottle. Barry’s eyebrow furrowed in confusion. 

“What?”

“You let everyone, including me, step all over you,” Julian started, setting the bottle down on the table. “You let our colleagues treat you like shit, you let me treat you like shit. Yet you still continue to be happy-go-lucky Barry Allen. I’ve been trying to figure out why.”

“I don’t really see it like that.”

“Of course you don’t,” Julian sighed. “How do you see it then?”

“People have stuff going on in their own lives, and I guess it’s better that they take their frustrations out on me rather than those they really care about.”

“You’re making me feel like an ass, Allen.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Come here.”

“Huh?”

“I said, come here.” Barry looked at Julian hesitantly before scooting closer to the other man.

“I may be an insensitive prick that has no idea how to interact with people, but it even makes me feel bad when I see people treating you poorly,” Julian sighed. He picked the bottle back up from the table and handed it to Barry. “And, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re a great partner.”

“Wait, what was that?” Barry asked, failing at hiding his toothy grin.

“Oh, bugger off! I’m not repeating myself!” Julian said sternly, but the smile on his face proved he really wasn’t all too serious. 

“You look really pretty when you smile,” Barry stated, looking at Julian’s profile. “I wish I got to see it more.”

“Well, consider this your lucky day,” Julian said with a faux grin. He lifted the bottle of rum up in salute and took a large drink from it. He winced as the liquid ran down his throat and he set the bottle down on the table.

“This already is my lucky day,” Barry muttered, pulling his knees close to his chest.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been trying to get your attention for months. But you don’t like me like that,” Barry whispered. “You’ve rejected me multiple times and you’re drunk right now and I’m just as drunk, but that’s okay. I’m happy that you’re here, even if it’s not in the way I wished it could be.”

Julian sat there, staring at the blank wall in front of him as the words Barry said soaked into his skin. Each last drop of the invisible ink that spilled from his mouth and onto the air imprinted itself in Julian’s brain. It was like his brain was the parchment that the ink so desperately needed. 

“I didn’t realize it was like that,” Julian muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn’t bring himself to be any louder than that, for his words were too fragile and if they were spoken with intensity, it would cause everything to shatter.

“Look, I’m fine with how everything is. I’m happy that we’ve become friends in some weird way,” Barry replied softly, a sad smile toying at his lips. “Besides, I like to think about us being endless potential.”

“Back again with the optimism,” Julian sighed.

“You should try it sometime. Makes life a little lighter.”

“Alright,” Julian said. “I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“In the grand scheme, do I really matter to you?”

“Of course,” Barry breathed out.

“No, really think about it. At the end of the day, when everything's said and done, do I  _ really _ matter as much as you think I do?”

“Yes.”

“You terrify me, Allen,” Julian replied after a beat. He closed the final inch between them, their shoulders touching. “You terrify me and amaze me all at once and I hate that I don’t understand you.”

“You can always change that.” Julian’s head turned towards Barry’s at this.

“How do you suggest I do that,” Julian asked, his eyes flickering towards Barry’s lips. A shiver ran down Barry’s spine when gray eyes looked into his own once more.

“I, uh, I-I’m not sure,” Barry stuttered, his cheeks flaming to a soft pink color.

“I think you do know, but you won’t admit it for self preservation reasons.”

“I don’t think my heart can take knowing what it’s like to have what I’ve always wanted and then never be able to have it again. I can’t take you wanting me now but you rejecting me tomorrow.”

“Who says I’ll reject you tomorrow?”

“Every sign you’ve given me since I met you points to that.”

“ _ Barry _ ,” Julian whispered, his lips only inches away from Barry’s. “This is the part where you kiss me and prove me wrong.”

Barry’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes looked down at Julian’s small, pink lips. He let his hand reach up to Julian face, his hand sliding down the smooth skin until his index finger and thumb hooked onto Julian’s chin. With the tiniest fraction of force, Barry pulled Julian’s face towards his own and connected their lips.

What should’ve been wrong never felt more right. Barry’s hand moved from Julian’s chin to the back of his neck, pulling the other man closer to him. 

He knew that Julian didn’t really want this. He knew that it was just drunk passion and the draught of affection the other man was in that drove him to reciprocate. He knew that tomorrow they’d pretend this never happened and it’d kill Barry for a while. But, it didn’t matter. Not in the moment at least. Nothing mattered except for Barry’s lips on Julian’s.

Julian hummed into the kiss as he moved his legs so he would be facing Barry. Julian’s hands ran down Barry’s arms as they found their home on Barry’s tricep. 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Barry mumbled into the kiss as he pulled Julian into his lap. Julian shifted into a more comfortable position as he broke the kiss to kiss down Barry’s neck. 

“I don’t see you complaining,” Julian whispered as he left a lingering kiss under Barry’s ear. A shiver ran down Barry’s spine.

“I’m not, I just don’t want you to do something you’ll,” Barry paused as Julian started nipping at the skin. “ _ Regret _ .”

“Do you ever shut up?” Julian asked as he pulled back to look Barry in the eye. Barry shook his head bashfully. “Challenge accepted.”

“I don’t wanna take advantage of you,” Barry said, putting his hand on Julian’s chest so the other man couldn’t come closer to him. Julian glared at him in response.

“I am consenting to this, Allen and I think it’s safe to say sobered up quite a bit in the past few minutes,” Julian said, followed, by a weak laugh. “If you don’t want to continue this, that’s one thing, but if you’re too afraid to do this, that’s another.”

Barry gulped and stared at Julian with wide eyes.

“What’s it gonna be,” Julian whispered, averting his eyes to Barry’s lips. 

“Oh,  _ fuck it _ ,” Barry replied breathily as he lunged forward and reattached his lips to Julian’s. Julian let out a low hum as he grabbed at the collar of Barry’s button up and pulled him closer. 

It felt like a spark was ignited in Barry and he never wanted to blow out the growing flame. Whatever hesitance he had before was long gone as Julian’s lips moved steadily against his own.

The duo kissed for what felt like only a few seconds, but actually dragged across the span of the rest of the night. 

Julian left Barry’s apartment that morning with a headache and a flutter in his heart. 

***

The following Monday, Barry bounded into his and Julian’s shared office, two coffees from Jitters in hand and a smile on his face. Just as expected, Julian was already sitting behind his desk, perfectly put together with papers neatly places amongst his work surface. 

Barry set down the coffee he got Julian onto Julian’s wooden coaster (“I don’t want water rings on my desk, thank you very much”). He then leaned across the desk and placed a small kiss on the other man’s cheek. 

“Good morning,” Barry said, a fighting smile bringing itself onto his face. 

“Morning, Allen,” Julian replied stiffly. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome,” Barry replied. “How was your weekend?”

“It was fine,” Julian responded shortly. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but there’s quite the pile building up on your desk, so I suggest you get started on that.”

“Oh, okay,” Barry said, casting his eyes downward. He walked over to his desk and set his coffee down. He was only just setting down the rest of his things when Julian cleared his throat.

“Yes?” Barry responded as he tucked his satchel away under his desk. 

“I’m not meaning to be rude, really,” Julian sighed. “I just… I don’t do feelings, so I figured it would be easier to keep it professional during work hours.”

“Yeah, of course, that makes sense,” Barry said softly. “Don’t even worry about it.”

“I just don’t want you to think that I’m having regrets or I am second guessing anything, I know how you get, Allen.”

“Excuse me?”

“No offense, but you need constant reassurance on almost anything.”

“I do not!”

“Were you thinking that something went wrong when I was being a bit short with you moments ago.”

Barry didn’t respond.

“My point exactly,” Julian chuckled as he picked out a yellow highlighter from his pen cup. “Now, do you have plans tonight?”

“No!” Barry said, a beat too quickly. He mentally slapped himself upside the head for being too eager.

“Well, I think you should ask me out then. For dinner at that Italian place on the corner of Baker and Elton.”

“Will you go out with me tonight? To the Italian place?”

“Sounds brilliant, how’d you know that’s my favorite?”

“Lucky guess?”

“I guess so.”

“Okay,” Barry said with a smile.

“Alright,” Julian replied as he uncapped his highlighter. “That’s been arranged. And Allen?”

“Yeah?”

“I really wasn’t kidding about the work load, I suggest you get on it.”

***

Julian was interrupted from the story by a knock on the door.

“No, you have to continue,” Barry pleaded as he gripped onto his husband’s hand.

“You already know what happens, you dipshit.”

“I know I do, but Bart doesn’t,” Barry replied with a pointed look. Julian rolled his eyes and turned towards Bart.

“Basically, long story short, the date went horrendous, Barry over here literally knocked over the candle on the table and lit his jacket sleeve on fire. We ended up in the emergency room that night. Scared me half to death.”

“But…”

“But, that made me realize that I really did like him.”

“Sometimes a near death experience can really work in your favor.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Bart muttered under his breath. “What happened after that?”

“We dated, moved in together, Barry proposed two years later. Actually, I found the ring in his pant pocket when it was my turn to do the laundry. He tried to say that he was pulling a ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ sort of thing, but I don’t believe it for a second.”

“It was cute! You gotta admit it, Ju.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Julian rolled his eyes fondly. “We got married. Here we are now.”

“Wow, that’s definitely a story,” Bart chuckled as he leaned back in his seat.

“Tell me about it,” Julian smiled. “Now, I don’t want to keep Thawne waiting, so please, for the love of all things good Barry, unclaw me.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Barry blushed as he pulled his hands into his lap. Julian kissed his husband’s cheek as he got up from the table and headed towards the door. 

“I told you, Julian tells the story well,” Barry beamed.

“He’s a good story teller, yeah,” Bart said in return. 

A few moments later, Julian returned to the room with Eddie Thawne trailing behind him. Bart’s heart stopped momentarily before he reminded himself that it was a different Eddie, not the one he knew.

“Earth-1 Barry Allen, it’s great to finally meet the man himself!” Eddie exclaimed as he bounded over to Bart and pulled him from his seat and into a bone crushing hug.

“Hey, Eddie,” Barry choked out, a small smile on his face.

“Sorry it took a while to get here, had some Flash stuff to take care of, you know the drill,” Eddie said, giving Bart a little nudge. Bart gave a curt nod in reply.

“So, they said that you have a way to get me back to my Earth?”

“Yes! We just have to head back to the labs if that’s fine with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Bart nodded. “I’m just gonna say goodbye to them and then we’ll go?”

“Sounds good,” Eddie responded, stepping away from the table.

Bart went around and held his hand out to Julian.

“Well, this certainly has been interesting,” Julian said with a little laugh,

“It definitely has.”

“It’s been a pleasure.” Bart gave him a nod as he released his hand and headed towards Barry.

“You’re welcome back anytime,” Barry said as he pulled Bart into a hug. “It was great to meet you.”

“You as well,” Bart smiled. 

After a moment, Bart waved goodbye to the two and headed off with Eddie. Julian and Barry watched as two flashes of lightning left in a blink of an eye from their apartment.

“Weirdest morning ever,” Julian mumbled as he pulled his husband into a hug. Barry rested his head on Julian’s shoulder after placing a kiss onto his cheek.

“Weird is our new normal.”

***

That night, Julian pulled back the covers as he slipped into the bed, his white vest dragging against the soft cotton sheets. He let out a loud sigh as his head fell to the pillow. 

“Today has been the weirdest day of my life,” Julian muttered. He lifted up his arm to let Barry scoot closer to him. Barry rested his head on Julian’s chest as Julian’s hand went up to twirl Barry’s hair in between his fingers. Barry sighed happily as he felt himself relax.

“It’s not everyday you meet yourself,” Barry replied. He momentarily pursed his lips together before asking, “Is he anything like me?”

“Bart?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want him to be?”

“Sort of. He’s me, yet he isn’t me. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have powers and have the ability to save people and do good.”

“You don’t have to wonder, you already do just that, darling.”

“I’m not out there like he is, though. I’m just the guy behind the numbers.”

“The thing is,” Julian started, adjusting himself so he was facing Barry. “We’re always gonna want what we can’t have, whether it be things within our reach or those far out of our control. It’s alright to dream, to imagine what it would be like to be out there. But it benefits nobody when you let it go so far that you forget to live.”

“When did my husband become a wise, old man?” Barry said after a beat. Julian scoffed, smacking Barry’s shoulder. 

“Way to ruin the fucking moment, Allen,” Julian said, rolling his eyes. “I was spouting some serious wisdom there!”

“You were, Ju, and it was beautiful,” Barry smiled. “And I’ll be sure to tell our co workers what a giant sap you are.”

Julian’s eyes widened in mock shock. “You wouldn’t.”

“The entirety of Central City will now be aware that my talented, brilliant,  _ stunning _ husband is the biggest nerd out there!”

“Not if I stop you first!” Julian teased as his fingers danced across the ticklish skin below Barry’s ribs. 

Barry’s laughs echoed through the room. Both men sported giant, exuberant smiles.

“No, stop, please!” Barry wheezed as his laughs turned more airy.  Julian’s hands stopped moving in favor of wrapping his arms around his husband and bringing him closer to him. He brought his hand up and wiped away a small tear collecting in the corner of Barry’s eye. 

Julian’s thumb rested in the crinkle of Barry’s eye as his hand rested against his cheek. He bit his lip as he stared into his husband’s beautiful green eyes. 

“What?” Barry asked through a toothy grin. Julian smiled softly as he shook his head slightly. 

“Have I ever told you how absolutely in love with you I am?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I, Julian Albert, am so, wholeheartedly and stupidly in love with you, Barry Allen,” Julian whispered as he thumbed at Barry’s cheekbone. “I swear that I couldn’t possibly love you more than I do in this moment, yet I know that I will tomorrow.”

“Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever… and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you,” Barry murmured as he brushed a stray hair off of Julian’s face.

“I’m going to ignore that you quoted Meet Joe Black,” Julian muttered. “Because I am a sucker for that quote.”

“I know you are, you sap.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.” 

Julian leaned forward and pressed their lips together. And in that moment, everything was silent and everything was perfect. It was just him and Barry. Julian and Barry. Alive, them against the world. In that moment, all that mattered was that they were there together. Neither were sure what exactly love was, but they knew that this is what it felt like, and that truly was something magical. 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! This is going to be my last fic for quite some time so leave some nice comments for me to come back to :)  
> (not gonna lie, I was planning on making this way longer w way more details, but I figured I'd keep it a little shorter, it was getting a bit lengthy.. lmk if u want to read the proposal or the wedding or something bc i have fun ideas for those!)


End file.
